Irina Baronova

Irina Mikhailovna Baronova FRAD was a Russian ballerina and actress who was one of the Baby Ballerinas of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, discovered by George Balanchine in Paris in the 1930s. She created roles in Lonide Massines Le Beau Danube , Jeux denfants , and Les Prsages and in Bronislava Nijinskas Les Cent Baisers .

Baronova was born in Saint Petersburg in 1919, the daughter of a lieutenant in the Imperial Navy, Mikhail Baronov, and his wife Lidia . When she was less than two years old, her family moved to Romania. In November 1920, the Baronova family escaped the Russian Revolution by dressing as peasants and crossing the border into Romania. Irina was not yet two years old. After first arriving in Arges, Romania, the family eventually settled in Bucharest. Irinas father Mikhail Baronov found work at a factory and for the next several years, the Baronova family lived in the slums surrounding the various factories where Mikhail is employed. Their start on life in Bucharest was a tumultuous one, having arrived in this foreign country without speaking the language and with no money, but because of Mikhails hard work and determination, their circumstances eventually started to look up.

Source: Wikipedia